hispanic heritage month Archives

October 14, 2026October 15, 2026

Seven Years NED, One Day at a Time: A Hispanic Cervical Cancer Survivor’s Story

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, we’re not done highlighting the Latina voices in our Cervivor community who are breaking the silence around cervical cancer — and helping others feel less alone.

Their voices are especially important. According to the American Cancer Society, Hispanic women in the U.S. have cervical cancer rates 36% higher than White women. Yet stigma and shame surrounding cervical cancer can make it difficult to talk openly about a diagnosis, seek support, or ask questions.

Hispanic cervical cancer survivor and Cervivor Ambassador Lisa Lakey knows what it’s like to carry that silence — and what it takes to break it. Her journey from a private diagnosis to outspoken advocacy was first featured in Patient Resource magazine. The magazine cover and Lisa’s original article are shown here.

With permission from Lisa and Patient Resource, we’re republishing her story below, followed by new reflections on seven years with no evidence of disease (NED), the challenges of survivorship, and the message she hopes other Latina women and their families will hear.

Lisa’s Story in Patient Resource: “Survivor Turns Her Silence Into Outspoken Advocacy”

When Lisa Lakey was diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV) at 18, she wasn’t given any information about what it was or what it could mean later in her life. Years later, when she was 37 and trying to have a child with her second husband, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. They found that the cancer was due to that long-lasting HPV infection. Despite her initial reluctance to tell anyone about her HPV diagnosis, she now advocates for women to get cervical screenings on a regular basis to help end this preventable cancer.

Embarrassed about the HPV diagnosis, I didn’t tell anyone at the time, especially my parents. I didn’t want them to know I’d been having sex because I was a good Catholic girl. No one explained what the diagnosis meant or whether I needed treatment. I had no symptoms, and, at the time, the HPV vaccine was not available, so I just went on with life. I had regular cervical cancer screenings with normal results. I even had a child with my first husband without any problems. I wish someone had explained how HPV could affect me in the future.

After I got remarried in my late 30s, my husband and I tried to have a child. I was having trouble conceiving, so I saw my OB/GYN. My screening showed abnormal cells on my cervix. She tried to remove as much as possible with a cone biopsy using LEEP, a technique that uses electric current passed through a thin wire loop to remove abnormal tissues. However, she told me after the procedure that there were no clear margins. She recommended a hysterectomy.

I was devastated, and my dad encouraged me to get a second opinion with a gynecologic oncologist. The second doctor performed another cone procedure but still couldn’t remove all the abnormal cells. Testing of the cells revealed I had adenocarcinoma in situ, and I was given a diagnosis of Stage IA1 cervical cancer. I decided to have a partial hysterectomy to remove my uterus and cervix but leave my fallopian tubes and ovaries. It made having a biological child in the future possible, and I still wanted a chance to have a child with my husband.

We looked at several fertility treatment options, including freezing some of my eggs, but we were surprised and disheartened at how incredibly expensive they were. It simply was not affordable for us. I looked online for information and support. This led me to Cervivor, which was a great place to meet other women going through something similar. Over time, I shared my experience with them. They asked me to speak at their Cervical Cancer Summit about family planning, so I joined their panel.

After the surgery, my doctor said there was only a 5 percent chance the cancer would return. I was hopeful. Although I was considered a survivor, I didn’t feel like it because for the next two and a half years, I had an ultrasound every six months. All results were normal until an 18 cm cyst was found on my right ovary during a routine scan. The doctor ordered bloodwork, and the results indicated cancer. Testing of the cyst showed it had the same cells as my original cervical cancer. Therefore, it was considered a recurrence.

This shook my world. I was like a zombie for a few weeks as I tried to come to grips with the news. The doctor scheduled surgery to remove the mass and my ovaries and fallopian tubes. I was so scared, but I put on a positive face and adopted the adage of “fake it until you make it.” Inside, I was mourning the fact that I would not be able to have any more children. I felt robbed.

*Lisa on her final day of chemotherapy.*

Surgery was followed by six rounds of aggressive chemotherapy treatment every six weeks. Today, I am cancer-free and have annual follow-up appointments.

After the recurrence, I became more involved with Cervivor. Talking about my experience helped me to feel less embarrassed and more emboldened to speak out. I began advocating for other women. I was invited to Cervivor’s Communities of Color event to share my experience as a Latina woman who had cervical cancer.

Many people, especially people from communities of color, have trouble discussing HPV. There is a stigma around it because it’s tied to sexual activity. I like to think of HPV as more like the common cold for your vagina. I even wear a button that says, “Ask me about HPV.” It is a great conversation starter and reduces the stigma of discussing a private part of the body.

Being a part of Cervivor lit a fire in me. I continue to use my voice to bring awareness to this totally preventable cancer. Many women reach out to me in private, but I’m willing to talk about cervical cancer with anyone, anywhere, because I don’t want them to feel alone. Today, I feel like a survivor.

The advice I give other women is to not be afraid of cervical cancer screening, advocate for yourself and find a team of doctors who have your best interests at heart. It’s worth it for your own well-being.

Lisa Today: “Survivorship is a Day-by-Day Experience”

*Lisa two years ago, celebrating five years with no evidence of disease (NED).*

Seven years after reaching no evidence of disease (NED), Lisa continues to navigate the challenges of survivorship while helping others through education and advocacy. We caught up with her to hear how she’s doing today and what she’s learned along the way.

Q: What helps you keep going on the harder days of survivorship?

“Survivorship is literally a day-by-day experience. Some days are great, and after being NED for seven years, dare I say there are some days I don’t even think about my diagnosis. But the reality is it’s always there. Any ache or pain, you immediately think: it’s cancer. It doesn’t help that cancer seems to be all around us, so it feels like there is no escape.

For me, I’m still experiencing some of those fears with questionable scans and other issues that stem directly from my treatment, so I’m not as carefree as I’d like to be. But every day I live in the moment. I wake up and feel so blessed to be here, and I look into my family’s eyes and remember why I fight so hard not to let this disease or this experience get the best of me.

You have to be strong; you have to have faith and hope. And you have to learn not to predict the future. If you advocate for yourself through this journey, then you should also be able to TRUST your team.”

Lisa’s Message to Latino Families

***Lisa with her family on the day she completed treatment***.

Q: As a Latina survivor, what would you tell Latino families when a loved one is diagnosed with cervical cancer?

“First and foremost, don’t be ashamed and don’t judge. Cervical cancer can feel like two diagnoses in one, but they did nothing wrong.

Second, I would let them know I am here for them for anything they need. When I was first diagnosed, I remember meeting someone with cervical cancer and weirdly being excited, because I had someone I could relate to.

If I have learned anything through Cervivor, it’s to be there for others: to share your story, to answer questions, to share my knowledge. I wish I’d had someone with firsthand experience when I was first diagnosed. Maybe I would have felt less alone and a whole lot more confident.”

Advocacy on Her Own Terms

Q: How has your advocacy evolved since your story appeared in Patient Resource?

*Lisa at a 2025 Cervivor Communities of Color event*.

“My advocacy over the past few years has been a lot of storytelling. I’ve hit some major milestones, so it’s always good to share the success and let others know there is hope, and also what years of survivorship could look like. Many times the storytelling is one-on-one, and I’m able to share personal experiences or help calm nerves.

I’m also huge on pushing for and sharing how important the HPV vaccine is, and I consistently push for others to vaccinate themselves or their children. In addition, I belong to a Latino cohort at work, and I’ve been given a platform on a regular basis to share my story and statistics, and to answer questions.

When it comes down to it, advocacy is what you make of it, and making myself open and available has worked well for me, especially when I’m immersed in a community of people who might be a little more reluctant to talk about it.”

Make Lisa’s Story Matter

Lisa’s story is a reminder that breaking the silence can start with one conversation, whether that’s with a doctor, a sister, a coworker, or a friend who was just diagnosed. As she puts it, advocacy is what you make of it.

This Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond, we invite you to carry her message forward:

Talk about it. Cervical cancer is nothing to be ashamed of. Open, judgment-free conversations help the women we love feel less alone.
Protect the next generation. The HPV vaccine prevents the infections that cause most cervical cancers. Talk to your doctor about vaccination for yourself and your children.
Get screened. Regular Pap and HPV tests can find changes early, when they’re most treatable.
Share your story. Like Lisa, your experience could be exactly what someone else needs to hear.
Find your community. Join Cervivor Español and connect with other Hispanic cervical cancer survivors at our next virtual Café con Leche meetup! Check our Events page for upcoming gatherings.

Thank you, Lisa, for your courage, your honesty, and for always showing up for others. We’re grateful to have you in the Cervivor family.

October 7, 2025October 7, 2025

Latina Cervivor Stories: Changing the Narrative about Cervical Cancer in Hispanic Communities This Hispanic Heritage Month

By Kyle Minnis, Cervivor Communications Assistant

Each year, Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) honors the contributions and resilience of the more than 65 million Hispanic Americans who shape our nation’s culture, economy, and communities. It’s also an important opportunity to highlight persistent health disparities—particularly in cervical cancer prevention and treatment, which disproportionately affects Latina women.

Composite image of three Latina cervical cancer survivors with teal text: "LATINA SURVIVORS CHANGING THE NARRATIVE ON CERVICAL CANCER." The image highlights representation and advocacy for cervical cancer in Hispanic communities.

Latinas are 43% more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer than non-Hispanic white women, and their risk of dying from it is 25 to 50% higher, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). They receive significantly fewer Pap tests and are less likely to follow up on abnormal results, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Barriers to care include stigma and silence around “below-the-belt” cancers, language differences, insurance gaps, transportation challenges, and inflexible work schedules, all of which delay diagnosis and limit access to lifesaving interventions.

Patient navigators like Nancy Peña—Founder and Director of Navegación de Pacientes Internacional (NPI), which trains Spanish-speaking clinical advocates across the U.S. and Latin America—champion bilingual education and culturally competent care, explaining, “Native-language navigation improves informed consent, adherence, and satisfaction; reduces errors and no-shows; and honors dignity.”

*Bilingual clinical patient navigator Nancy Peña spoke to attendees at the 2024 Cervical Cancer Summit.*

HPV vaccine uptake among Hispanic youth and young adults also remains low. While 63% of U.S. adolescents ages 13 to 17 are up to date on the full series, Hispanic adults ages 18 to 26 lag behind: According to the latest National Health Interview Survey, only 36% had received at least one dose, and just 21.5% had completed the full series—far below the national goal of 80% two-dose completion by age 15.

As Cervivor has reported, in many traditional households—Hispanic or otherwise—the vaccine is still seen to promote promiscuity. “It’s so important to speak openly with our children about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine,” says cervical cancer survivor Maritza Manjarrez, a Cervivor Español member who was raised in a Mexican family. “Vaccinating our youth doesn’t mean we’re giving them permission to have sex—it means we’re protecting them from a cancer that can develop later in life.”

Cervivor’s mission is to help eliminate cervical cancer while also lifting survivors from isolation, providing community and education, and empowering those affected to become advocates. This Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate our Latina community members—including Maritza, Dulcely Tavarez, Yvette Torres, and many more—by amplifying their stories and strength. Their voices demonstrate what it means to live beyond cervical cancer while advocating for health equity and compassion.

Maritza Manjarrez: Breaking the Silence

*Maritza recently graduated from Cervivor School 2025.*

“My cervical cancer journey has been especially difficult as a Latina. The stigma surrounding HPV and cervical cancer in our community has played a huge role in that,” says Maritza, who was diagnosed with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma at age 34. “Growing up Mexican meant you didn’t talk openly about topics like this. Keeping what was considered ‘private information’ to myself made it very hard to find help, support groups, or even basic information.”

That silence meant it took Maritza years to find Cervivor and feel comfortable sharing her story. “When asked what type of cancer I had, I felt a sense of shame and embarrassment to answer cervical cancer,” she recalls. “I believe this stigma plays a big role in the statistics. It makes me sad and worried, because if we don’t increase advocacy, these numbers are not going to change. Too many of our women are dying from this preventable disease.”

Dulcely Tavarez: Shattered Dreams, Renewed Fire

Dulcely describes being in her early twenties, putting her own health last while caring for others, a struggle familiar to many Latinas. In April 2015, she finally saw a doctor about her irregular menstrual cycles, but was bounced between providers before receiving a cervical cancer diagnosis. “‘Later’ almost cost me everything. By the time I was diagnosed, the treatment I needed was life-saving but meant I could never carry a child.”

Dulcely’s family surrounded her with care and love, but it sometimes intensified her grief and isolation. “In our community, family and children are seen as such a natural part of life that it’s hard to explain the emptiness when that dream is taken away. Even when they were trying to comfort me, sometimes I felt alone in those emotions.”

She found healing in Cervivor. “When I looked for stories that reflected my own—young, Latina, facing cancer and fertility loss—I couldn’t find them. And that loneliness can be crushing. We need to see ourselves in these campaigns, in our own language, in ways that reflect our values and struggles. Representation is not just about visibility—it’s about saving lives and healing hearts.”

Thanks to her involvement with Cervivor, Dulcely became the first-ever recipient of the Cervivor Baby Gift Fund at this January’s 2025 Cervical Cancer Summit. The award supports cervical cancer survivors pursuing alternative paths to motherhood and accepts donations from $10 to $50,000.

*Dulcely gets a hug—after receiving the first-ever Cervivor Baby Gift Fund—from Cervivor Founder and Chief Visionary Tamika Felder at the 2025 Cervical Cancer Summit.*

Yvette Torres: From Shame to Advocacy

Yvette’s cancer journey began with an unsympathetic, unprofessional diagnosis. “The doctor asked, ‘Why did I wait so long?’ Still in shock, I did not answer that callous question,” she recalls. At 42, she and her husband had been hoping for another child so their youngest son could have a closer-in-age sibling—but that hope ended with a biopsy, performed on her son’s 4th birthday, that confirmed cervical cancer in 2013. She remembers the OB/GYN telling her it “didn’t look good,” that it was most likely cancer, and later saying it was a “good thing I already had two children,” since treatment would likely take away her chance to have more.

This cold medical treatment reinforced how stigma and cultural silence can delay women from seeking care. Yvette shares, “I hid. I felt ashamed. I didn’t want to talk about it because that’s what I learned growing up—we didn’t talk about below-the-belt issues. My mother did teach me the importance of going to the gynecologist. However, I did not feel comfortable talking about details, differences, or changes in my body.” Her experience echoes what many Cervivor Español members describe: how misconceptions about HPV, reluctance to discuss gynecologic cancers, and language barriers all contribute to lower screening and vaccination rates.

For Yvette, community was the turning point. “I found Cervivor during COVID, when isolation made everything feel even worse.” Through Cervivor Español, she gained the confidence to speak out in Spanish, even though she hadn’t grown up fluent, and now distributes bilingual prevention materials. “Now, I celebrate and embrace my Black and Hispanic identity by advocating for these communities and helping women not feel ashamed by sharing my story,” says Yvette, a 2023 Cervivor Champion and recent top Tell 20, Give 20 fundraiser, who also mobilized her students through a school workplace drive to spread awareness.

***Yvette at work, where her story inspired colleagues to donate thousands to Cervivor’s Tell 20, Give 20 campaign.***

Join the Movement to End Cervical Cancer Disparities in Hispanic Communities

Latinas make up 20% of the U.S. population, and their stories of surviving cancer, overcoming setbacks, and celebrating successes deserve to be heard—not just during Hispanic Heritage Month. Whether navigating care in a new language, confronting cultural silence around cancer, or redefining family and identity after treatment, Latina Cervivors show that community and compassion can transform what’s possible.

To help reduce cervical cancer diagnoses and improve outcomes for Hispanic individuals with a cervix, take action today by:

Sharing your Cervivor Story to put a face on a cancer that is too often hidden or hushed.
Supporting Cervivor’s 20th-year Tell 20, Give 20 campaign to fund culturally relevant programming and Cervivor Español support group (and sign up for next month’s event).
Advocating for bilingual programs—like Nancy Peña’s NPI patient navigators—that help create more equitable care pathways.
Championing advocacy groups such as the ACSí Se Puede Hispanic/Latino Advocacy Alliance, which amplify voices and expand access for Spanish-speaking communities.
Using your voice. If you speak Spanish—whether fluently or conversationally—you can support those facing language barriers. Talk with them about the life-saving benefits of HPV vaccination, regular screenings, and timely follow-ups.

Lastly, honor the voices of Maritza, Dulcely, and Yvette—and so many others—by making this Hispanic Heritage Month a catalyst for lasting change. As Dulcely reminds us:

“Please don’t wait. Don’t push your health to the bottom of the list the way I did… To the mothers—protect your children with the HPV vaccine. It’s an act of love. To my fellow women—know your worth, use your voice, and never stop fighting for answers.”

If you found this blog post helpful, please share it with friends or family members. You may just save a life. Questions? Contact us at [email protected].

About the Author

The image is a portrait of a young man with dark skin and short, curly black hair. He is wearing a blue collared shirt and black-framed glasses, and is smiling at the camera.
The man has dark skin and short, curly black hair.
His hair is cut close to his head, with a slight fade at the sides.
His eyebrows are thick and well-groomed.
He is wearing a blue collared shirt.
The shirt is a medium blue color and appears to be made of a lightweight material.
It has a relaxed fit and is buttoned up to the top.
He is also wearing black-framed glasses.
The frames are rectangular in shape and have a subtle curve at the temples.
The lenses are clear and do not appear to have any tint or coating.
The man is smiling at the camera.
His smile is wide and genuine, showing off his white teeth.
His eyes are crinkled at the corners, giving him a friendly and approachable appearance.
The background of the image is a plain gray color.
The gray is a medium tone, neither too light nor too dark.
It provides a neutral backdrop that allows the subject to stand out.
Overall, the image presents a friendly and approachable young man who appears to be confident and comfortable in front of the camera

Kyle Minnis is a senior studying Strategic Communications at the University of Kansas. He is currently serving as Cervivor’s Communications Assistant.

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